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15 January, 2011

Campbell's Harvest Orange & Sun Ripened Yellow Tomato Soups

Recently, I had some pretty harsh words for Campbell's Chicken Wonton Soup - and Campbell's chicken soups in general, which are pretty lousy.

But I believe in giving credit where credit is due, and so here I am, praising two "Limited Edition" Campbell's Tomato Soups: Harvest Orange and Sun-Ripened Yellow.

Lynnafred and I found a bunch of these condensed soups on a clearance table at the local Price Chopper. Neither of us had seen them on the shelves before, so we were both surprised to find them being marked down - we had never had the opportunity to buy them at full price to begin with, and here they were, getting rid of them!

Last summer, about a third of the tomato plants we set were heirloom varieties which produced orange or yellow fruit. Lynnafred especially is fond of yellow tomatoes, which are slightly sweeter and significantly less acidic than their traditional red relatives. She scooped up four cans of each of the unique Campbell's concoctions in the hope that they would prove as delicious as the actual fruit.

Her gamble paid off: both the Harvest Orange and the Sun-Ripened Yellow Tomato Soups are pretty damn good.

They are both condensed soups and call for one can of soup to be mixed with one can's measure of water before heating. We've always preferred the creaminess of Campbell's tomato soup made with milk, however, so that's the way Lynnafred prepared these "alt tomato" soups.

The Harvest Orange Tomato Soup is made with roasted garlic, rosemary, sage, black pepper, and Dijon mustard. The flavor is delicious - the seasoning balance is just right with a unique flavor that is tasteable even through the familiar, semi-sweet Campbell's Tomato Soup flavor profile.

The Sun-Ripened Yellow Tomato Soup is surprisingly more standard-tasting. The ingredients - including cilantro, jalapeno pepper, lime juice, and thyme - indicate that perhaps Campbell's might have been going for some kind of "southwest" flavor, but none of the seasonings were assertive enough to be recognizably unique. Lynnafred described it as very close in flavor to standard tomato soup, "only totally better." If only we'd found them on the supermarket shelves during their first run.

@Drunketh - There are no colorings in the Harvest Orange, but the Sun-Ripened Yellow contains turmeric. I guess that counts as a food coloring, because it makes moist foods (pickles, soups, etc.) pleasantly yellow.

@Jess - Lynnafred used milk in them instead of water, so the actual product was somewhat less attractive than it could have been. I'll get her to snap some pix next time she makes some.

There is not food coloring in these soups, the color is natural from the ingredients.

Also, there is a chance that these soups will return as a regular option on the shelf. I also found these on sale, but have heard that Cambpells was testing out the new flavors and they may return. I hope so because they are so delicious.

I tried the harvest orange and it was really good...nice and smooth and the color of the soup is absolutely gorgeous...I mixed mine with 2% milk instead of the recommended water...made the soup really creamy....I happened upon this soup at my local walmart and they seem to have plenty on the shelf...

I found "ONE" can of the yellow tomato soup at Big Lots but had never seen it as a regular item. Too bad they had to discontinue it before it ever had a chance. But..... that seems typical of Campbell's. I now see that the orange variety is available at Hannaford's and Shaw's. I just wish the yellow would be offered. I had the same problem with Fiesta Nacho Cheese soup..... it disappeared but is slowing reappearing. It is so much better than the salty, tasteless cheddar cheese soup.

I bought the Harvest Tomato at Walmart a few weeks ago. The can looks different now. The flavor really isn't anything amazing, but I don't like regular tomato soup. I would buy again because it has a down to earth, home-style flavor that doesn't burn going down. You do not taste orange juice, like i would expect.

Amazon is charging over $2 per can. Big Lots is $.80. Wonder what's up with that. I also wish they hadn't gone on discount without ever being in the fore front. I am in the stores daily and have never seen these. This is much like Lays chips offering Teryaki flavored for 1 day here in Houston. I loved that flavor. When I asked the driver he said it was a test market that failed. FAILED? it never started. Sheesh.

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